Michael G. Laurendeau playing on that diamond in the sky.

Mike was one of those people that was so smooth and gifted on the ball field. He could run , hit and throw with the best. And he was really a good guy. He played on my softball team just a few years ago, so this is really hard to see his passing. Way too young.

Michael passed away Saturday April 24 suddenly with a heart attack at the age of 49 years. He was born in Eureka on February 25, 1961, the second son of George and Jessie Laurendeau. He attended elementary schools in Cutten and graduated from Eureka High School in 1978. He attended College of the Redwoods for two years. Michael participated in Baseball, Football, Wrestling and Basketball starting at 8 years of age, but his favorite was Baseball where he had a real talent. During his years he was involved in several serious accidents but survived. He also spent some years where drugs took him down the wrong path but was working hard to change his lifestyle as he had a cardiac disability and a desire to change.

Mike is survived by his daughter Michelle Barnes (Miles) of Ashland, parents George and Jessie, brother Daniel (Reeda), niece Shayla and Kelsy Portland, Oregon, sister Louise Pratt (Elton) and nephew Roger Jr. and niece Paige Matthews of Lauton, Oklahoma, cousin Sharon Thompson and Karen Steinblock, Jeff Klopp, Uncle Frank Klopp and Aunt Mimi Henkes, Mary Wright, alex McMillan, Denise Theodore, and best friend Sharon Delong. Mike was preceded in death by his big brother William (Bill), Aunt Joann Klopp, and Uncle Guy and Eina Laurendeau.

There will be no formal service, but a memorial will be held on Saturday, May 1 at 2520 Hubbard Lane 2:00-5:00 pm at the Community Center (The Meadows). Please come with a few stories of the good life as he called it.

Democratic Moderates vs Progressives. Central Committee wars to the south.

Moderate Democrats in San Francisco often complain that far-left politicians don't represent their values. Middle-class families are frustrated that their concerns - like safe streets - are undermined by ideologues with wild claims of a "police state." Developers are exasperated when their projects are subjected to endless delays, even when the property has been a vacant eyesore for years.

Would you like to see things change?

Then I've got some bad news for you.

You're going to have to get involved - or at least start paying attention.

The next two months will see a battle for the political soul of the city. It will pit the progressives against the moderates in a face-off that will have huge implications in the November elections and, perhaps, the election of the next mayor. The key is control of an obscure but incredibly influential organization called the Democratic County Central Committee.

Rather than complaining about the direction of the city, middle-of-the-road Democrats have to get active. They have to vote in the June DCCC election and they have to do their homework on the candidates to learn if they represent moderate values.

"If you want to see change in the city, change to the culture of the Board of Supervisors, and bring some common sense and reason back to the city, it starts with the DCCC," said David Latterman, a local pollster.

If you are not sure what the DCCC is, you are not alone.

"If you stopped people on the street and asked them what the DCCC was, most of them wouldn't know what you were talking about," Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier said.

San Francisco political insiders know. The DCCC endorsement doesn't necessarily mean a win in every election - it just seems to work out that way. In 2008, the DCCC went 6-for-6 in supervisor races (the seventh, Ross Mirkarimi, used to belong to the Green Party and was not eligible for a Democratic endorsement) and 3-for-4 in the school board elections.

That's no surprise. San Francisco is a liberal Democrat town. When the official voice of the local Democratic committee sends out recommendations in mailers - and it has a nearly unlimited budget to do so - voters listen.

"But when Mrs. Jones receives her Democratic voter guide in the mail," said Scott Wiener, former chairman of the DCCC and candidate for supervisor in District Eight, "she's thinking of the party of Barack Obama, not the party of Aaron Peskin and (Supervisor) Chris Daly."

There's the rub. In 2008, Peskin and Daly unapologetically staged a takeover of the DCCC. They ran a slate of well-known names, including Eric Mar, David Campos and David Chiu, all of whom won seats as supervisors later that year. When they won seats on the DCCC, Wiener was voted out as chairman and replaced by Peskin, the former president of the Board of Supervisors.

Now, there's nothing illegal or evil about that. In fact, a few years ago people complained about then-Mayor Willie Brown controlling the DCCC. Peskin and Daly promised to dismantle the Willie Brown machine.

They did. Then they created their own.

"Aaron Peskin is building a political machine that would make Willie Brown blush," Wiener said.

Campos scoffs at that idea.

"We don't sit around trying to figure out what we, as a machine, should do," he said. "I talk to everybody."

Maybe so, but with the DCCC's unmistakable power, a progressive voting majority will guarantee endorsements of far-left candidates in the November elections for supervisor. And remember, if Gavin Newsom leaves office as mayor, the supervisors will elect his successor. The stakes are huge.

The election for the DCCC is in June. You should be sure to vote. And you should make sure you know who you are voting for.

SFgate

Green Sturgeon in Humboldt Bay! None local?

I went to the Humboldt Bay Symposium today and was blown away by a presentation by Bill Pinnix of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Green Sturgeon monitoring in Humboldt Bay. I have fished about all sides of this bay and sloughs and have never caught or witnessed a sturgeon being caught in the bay. I have seen many from the Trinity river though. Apparently Humboldt Bay has thousands of readings of these fish that are tagged between April and October in the far North Bay near Arcata. Kayakers have witnessed them at certain tides and were asking if they were legal to catch. It sounded like fishing laws for Sturgeon are vague. These fish as adults are generally 6-7ft and over 100lbs. They live around 70 years and are very prehistoric looking.

Now get this. These fish that are monitored are from the Sacramento River, San Pablo Delta, Rouge River and other rivers north. And while we have sturgeon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers in abundance, they avoid feeding in Humboldt Bay and seem to go everywhere north! There has been no recorded readings of Klamath or Trinity Sturgeon in Humboldt Bay!

Damn those fish! Make them go local!

RIP Haley. Way, way, way, too young. Condolences to my nephew Steve.

I never had the chance to meet by grand niece Haley. I had heard about her and Robin and I have always meant to go to New Mexico to visit my nephew Steve, who owns the La Provence French Restaurant and Scalo's Italian Restaurant in Albuquerque, but time and life always seemed to get in the way. My sister Juanita has always been on me to get down their way and now I feel so bad. I wish I had words and a great speech for this tragedy. Please send contributions to Youth Matters, c/o Scalo, 3500 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Haley was involved in many youth projects.

Haley Paternoster, 16, passed away in Albuquerque, N.M. on April 9, 2010. She captured her daddy's heart the moment she was born December 25, 1993, forming a unique bond no earthly thing could break. She is remembered for her beautiful eyes, brilliant smile, sense of humor and courage in the face of adversity. She was adored as "Sissy" by her young brothers, Jackson and Jameson, and had a tight grip on the heart of "Big Poppa," her Grandpa Pat. She was a sophomore at Media Arts Collaborative Charter School, where her teachers valued her academic dedication and creativity, and was preparing to enroll in Central New Mexico Community College for dual credit. Haley was bright, artistic and technologically gifted, a teen who loved music and fashion and was considering becoming a nurse. She was compassionate beyond words and, with her father Steve, co-founded Youth Matters in Albuquerque to provide funds and services for children involved in the children's court system. Through their work, the nonprofit provides clothing and basic necessities benefiting children in three programs: SNAP, for children involved in domestic violence; Children's Drug Court; and the Program for the Empowerment of Girls. Haley was predeceased by "Papa" Jack Fertig. She is survived by her parents, Steve and Jane Paternoster and Charla D. Davis; brothers Rodorick Rubio and Jackson and Jameson Paternoster, and grandmother Waddie Fertig, all of Albuquerque. Haley also is survived by her El Paso grandparents Nita Johnson and George Johnson and James R. and Margie Paternoster; her Aunt Laurie Paternoster and Uncles Michael Churchman and James R. Paternoster, Jr. She also leaves behind her loving cousins Megan and Justin Churchman of El Paso, and Madison McCarty of Washington. Memorial services will be April 17, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church in Rio Rancho, NM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Youth Matters, c/o Scalo, 3500 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Those who wish to express their condolences may do so at www.danielsfuneral.com. Haley's care has been entrusted to: Daniels Family Funeral Services 2400 Southern Blvd SE Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (505) 891-9192

Perch'n on the Peninsula!

Samoa Peninsula Fire District
Announces the 1st Annual
Perch’n on the Peninsula
Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Pasta Feed Fundraiser!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS, GRAB YOUR GEAR AND GO FISHING WHILE SUPPORTING A GOOD CAUSE!
SPFD is in need of a new AED (automated external defibrillator) and Digital Projector for firefighter training

Entry Fee: $25.00 per person.

All Tournament Participants must Register and Agree to the Waiver of Liability Terms prior to going fishing!

When: May 8th 2010, Fishing begins at 5:36 am, Check-in (Noon-2pm) deadline is 2pm, Pasta Feed Begins at Noon and Fundraiser Raffle begins at 3:30pm.
Where: Peninsula Elementary School, 909 Vance Ave. Samoa, CA. (Directly across the street from the Samoa Cookhouse)

Tournament Entry Registration: Will be available from 5:30 am to 10 am at the Peninsula Elementary School on Tournament Day. Doughnuts, and Tee Shirts will be for sale with free Coffee. You can also pre-register at Mad River Outfitters, Redwood Marine or at Englund Marine. For more information Contact;
Ben Smith at: 707-601-0375 (davisfisherben@hotmail.com), or
Charlie Holthaus at: 707-499-7088 (cwhwts@suddenlinkmail.com)
Tournament Registration Includes: One (1) Entry into Door Prize Raffle (Limited to Tournament Participants Only, door prize tickets will be supplied upon check-in), Admission to Spaghetti Feed and Fundraiser ($5.00 value) and 5 Complementary raffle tickets ($5.00 value).

Tournament Prizes:-10% of entry proceeds awarded for largest overall fish (Up to $625.00*).
-10% of entry proceeds awarded for largest combined limit of three (3) fish (Up to $625.00*).
The more participant’s the higher the payout (*Based on 250 Participants)!
Tournament Judging: Fish will be judged by Total Length.

NOT INTO FISHING? JOIN US FOR THE PASTA FEED AND FUNDRAISER!

Admission Fee: $5.00 Per Person (Free for Children Under 6 and Tournament Participants).
Pasta Feed and Raffle Ticket Sales: Noon to 3:30 pm
Raffle Drawings*, Door Prize* and Tournament Prize Awards*: Begins at 3:30pm
-$1.00/ticket raffle will include all items donated by local sponsoring businesses *
-$5.00/ticket 50/50 raffle will consist of a single cash prize worth 50% of 50/50 raffle ticket sales.*

*DO NOT NEED TO BE PRESENT TO WIN!

Tournament Rules:

1. All California Department of Fish and Game Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations shall be adhered to. As per DFG regulation, the minimum size for Redtail surfperch is 10.5 inches, any sub-legal fish will not be accepted. All adult anglers over the age of 16 must possess and present a current California Sport Fishing License at the registration table.
2. You must fish on the day of the tournament, any fish caught before the day of the tournament will not be accepted. You must return and check in at the registration table between Noon and 2pm with your catch. Late arrivals will not be accepted.
3. Only Surfperch in the family Embiotocidae are eligible, any other fish species will not be accepted. Any frozen, freezer burned, undersized or manipulated fish will not be accepted. All fish will be measured by tournament staff and no squeezing, bending, tweaking or manipulations of any sort will be allowed (please take good care of your fish, any bent, twisted and/or rigor-mortised fish will be measured as-is and not straightened out). All measurements by tournament staff are final and no re-measurements will be allowed. If there is a tie for largest fish, those anglers’ second largest fish will be judged for the tie breaker, if the tie cannot be broken the prize money will be split evenly between all tied anglers.
4. You may fish anywhere you want within ocean waters (Humboldt Bay is considered ocean waters, river mouths and estuaries are not considered ocean waters), as per DFG regulation.
5. Samoa Peninsula Fire District volunteers and Board members are NOT eligible to participate in the Tournament.
6. All Participants shall read and agree to the Waiver of Liability Terms prior to participating in the Tournament. All Participants shall supply their Name, Phone Number, Signature and Date on the Tournament Entry Form at the time of Registration as acceptance of the Waiver of Liability Terms. Minors (under 18 years old) shall have a responsible parent or guardian sign on their behalf. Tournament Entries are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee endorses candidates April 14th, 2010.

The Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC) will be holding their endorsement general committee meeting tomorrow Wednesday April 14th, at the Humboldt Area Foundation at 6:30pm on Indianola Blvd. The meeting is open to the public and might be spirited. I requested the executive board to not endorse any candidates due to the many Democrats running against each other. My motion was voted down, so now we are going into a very ugly scenario. Why should Democrats vote for one over another in a Primary election? I say let them battle it out in those elections that aren't winner take all.

Bass signs up!

This weekend the Bass campaign went ahead and put up some signs. Hundreds actually. There were many volunteers in this process. Thanks you all! Now, back to the door knocking.

Potential Freshwater Tissue employees please respond!

The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) local 49 had a lively well attended general meeting tonight and we need some help. If you worked at Evergreen Pulp and have the desire to work for Freshwater Tissue in the near future, please e-mail me with your current address and phone number. I would suggest that to former salary workers also.

Local 49 Standing Committee Representatives have talked to Freshwater CEO Bob Simpson and have had positive response. Bob is hoping for the return of 65% of the past labor force, and would like for us to identify them before/during continued negotiations. The hopes is to have a labor agreement by June 9th! If Freshwater Pulp is able to garner a permit from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board meeting on June 10th at Santa Rosa, Freshwater wants to start bringing back workers on June 11th.

This is fast and furious and just good news for many Vendors, Longshoreman, Truck Drivers, Sawmills, Harbor District, Dock Workers, Local Labor Tradesmen and the many unemployed Humboldt County residents who can be a part of an environmentally friendly project on a huge "Green" stage.

Good luck to Bob Simpson and Freshwater Tissue!

Robin on the ballot last for Humboldt County Democratic Central Commitee! How do they decide that anyways?

The way make the decision on what ballot designation, or where you are placed order wise on a ballot is called a "Random Alphabet Drawing." The Secretary of State does a drawing of the alphabet from 1. to 26. This year was 1. Y, 2. B, 3. N, 4. F, 5. T, 6. S, 7. W, 8. L, 9. P, 10. Z, 11. V, 12. X, 13. Q, 14. A, 15. I 16 O, 17. J, 18. R, 19. G, 20. D, 21. C, 22. U, 23. M, 24. K, 25. H, 26. E.

So in the county elections that are just by districts, the ballot orders are:

5th District Supervisor:

1. Ryan Sundberg
2. Jeff Lytle
3. Pat Cleary
4. Pat Higgins

4th District Supervisor:

1. Virginia Bass
2. Bonnie Neely
3. Jeff Leonard

4th District Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee:
(Voting for 4 out of the 5)
1. Bob Service
2. Pam Service
3. Charlene Cutler-Ploss
4. Richard Marks
5. Robin Marks

When you have 2 running with the last same name, the first name in the criteria.

In the County wide races, they do by supervisor districts and the order changes for each district.

Just in case you were wondering.

The rain is here, must be baseball season!

It has been cold and rainy lately, so it must be baseball season. This is one time of the year that really gets under my skin in Humboldt County, the rotten spring weather. It also leaves our baseball and softball teams at a disadvantage as far getting on the fields to practice and play games. We need either all weather ball fields (think artificial turf)or a indoor facility (think roof over Eureka Babe Ruth or roof over any little league field in Humboldt). Anybody else out there feel this would be a good project for our community?

Ernie Ghesetti having fun in sun in Deer Valley. Economy hitting Phoenix? Spring Training update and Eating on the road!

Robin and I ordered tickets ahead of time for the first time we have went to Spring Training in Phoenix. Robin had reserved a room for us at the Ramada Plaza at the price of $63 a night, but when we checked in, they had no record of our reservation and we could not find the confirmation number. It was late Sunday and we just wanted to get checked in. After a frantic search we found the number and it was verified by their people. Why our names did not show up as reserved was disturbing, but we got in. The motel cost us $118 a night last year, and it has went down hill fast. Used to have full breakfast, now in Continental. The bar is closed and the pool is not heated. The motel was nearly empty. The good side was that Robin and I had the pool area to ourselves!

Our first day, we saw the A's at the Mariners facility in Peoria. Nice park and the A's played well and won. Ichiro for the Mariners looked good. A crowd of around 7,000 left many holes in the crowd. The second day we were at Camelback Ranch and Robin was proud of her ticket score. Unfortunately, her husband asked for directions to the seat and misunderstood the host explanation. We ended up in the middle of the scouts seating and we were the only ones without a score sheet, radar stuff and notes. We were in the middle of the scouting section behind home plate! It was neat hearing their banter with one another, but after looking into what section we were supposed to be in, we were actually only 4 rows from the front, so we moved. Matt Cain was phenomenal and the Giants did not give up an earned run and Pablo Sandavol and Bengie Molina had 2 doubles each. There were only about 4,000 so we were witnessing a huge drop in attendance from the last year we were here and sat in record crowds. We watched the Red and Giants at Goodyear Wednesday and there was barely 4,000 people at this brand new facility. The Reds beat the Giants late, but not until Jonathan Sanchez went nearly 7 innings.

Today, Thursday, Robin and I walked for hours and many miles through the Phoenix Zoo. Around 80 degrees and many families and school tours. The Phoenix Zoo is privately owned non-profit that charges $16 per person and they have many huge corporate sponsors. They have a walk through monkey house (Think bird aviary) that you are actually encountering monkeys that have actually stolen cell phones from people. We were in the middle of the monkeys having a scuffle and it was crazy with monkeys flying around us! We later that night went to the A's against Giants at Scottsdale. This time it was packed house! Great crowd, and who did I run into? Deer Valley winter resident Ernie Ghesetti and retired Pulp Mill employee. He said this winter has been cold there compared to years past. (He is still golfing away in the Sonora Valley.)

Places ate at on the road and ratings out of 5:

1. Bob's Big Boy at Cabazon- 3.5 Had a great burger and onion rings. Salad was just blah.

2. Del Taco at Indian Wells- 2.5 But there was plenty of it!

3. Popeye's in Blythe- 1.5 Robin will not let me go here again. She had Cole slaw that was warm. I had popcorn shrimp.

4. Mimi's Cafe in Phoenix- 2.5 What is with the spice type muffins for breakfast? Just all right. Barely.

5. Lone Star in Glendale- 3.0 I love some of the meat BBQ stuff, but the salad was brutal and the bread loaf sucked.

6. IHOP in Peoria- 4.0 They have a smothered potatoes breakfast menu that is not to be noted by my doctor. Very eatable.

7. Stacker's near the Metro Center- 4.5 Local bar that is across the street from hotel. Everything is good. As near a 5 as a place can get.

8. Sweet Tomato- 4.0 Very good salad, soup and dessert bar. All fresh. And a Dryers Dark Chocolate yogurt bar?

Reality sinks in tomorrow. We head back over the desert valley toward home. Hopefully we are home by Sunday night.

Tennis BNP Paribas Open Championships. Ljubicic wins Men's Title, Jankovic Women's. Richard Marks tale of tennis woe.

Robin and I went to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden today to watch the Open Championships. There is two weeks of competition, with amateurs also going at it from all over the US playing doubles. We took in some great amateur matches that were quite spirited. 22 Courts and thousands of fans. We were able to watch Andy Roddick warm up before the match. It made me say to Robin, "What a narcissistic sport this is!" It is all about the person as an individual in the singles realm. I have always been pretty good at tennis without really working on it. I don't know why.

When I was at Eureka High I had a teacher in Civics that always wore a tennis tie clip and I gave him a hard time about it. Somehow a challenge ensued and he invited the student body to witness. The match was to be at the Eureka Indoor/Outdoor tennis club. Which he owned. I was a cocky 17 year old that thought I would just over power him and was confident I would give him all he could handle. I was soooooo wrong. Ellis Williamson just destroyed me to the point of embarrassment and I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the year. (Ellis at the time was one of the top ranked 50 year old players in the world. My bad!)

The Women's Championship pitted 19 year old Caroline Wozniacki against Jelena Jankovic. Jelena was dominate for this match and was very gracious in victory and Caroline has now moved to 2nd in the world even though she lost. Fun to watch.

We were hoping that Andy Roddick could outplay Ivan Ljubicic to give a US player a victory, but Ivan won hearts with his hard play (And 20 aces) it was a great match to watch. There is not a bad seat at Indian Wells, and what a great organized event!

Cabazon Outlet adventures. How many are just ripped off?

Robin and I are on the way to our yearly Spring training destination of Phoenix and stopped at the Cabazon Outlets near Palm Springs. (First we ate at Bob's Big Boy.) There was a huge crowd there. No sign of a recession at this place. I picked up some softball equipment I can not purchase locally at one of the outlets and waited in a long line for help. The cashier totaled my purchase and said "4 hundred and ..." I said "Whoa, no, no!" She looked at me disgustedly and retotaled slowly the purchases and said $189. I said, "That is a lot better than over $400!" She looked at me puzzled and said, "That is not what I said!" I didn't want to argue, but I then wondered how many people shopping at these outlets are over charged. This outlet is a melting pot of cultures. Many Asians, Latinos, Europeans and of course, Americans from all corners of the US. They actually do announcements in various languages to help direct shoppers.

We are staying in Indian Wells tonight and will drive the desert tomorrow. (I was able to barter a price of $99 at a motel going for $209 a night. Great Suite with kitchenette and Couch. Sweet! It will be harder in Phoenix, but Robin has some ideas. She bought tickets for games.)

Softball News. Blue Lake League.

The City of Blue Lake is hosting a Sunday only league starting May 2nd and running into June. They will not play Memorial Weekend. Each Sunday each team will play a doubleheader. League costs are $420 per team. First come first served registration starts on Monday the 24th at 9am at Blue Lake City Hall.

I am hoping that Mad River Softball Association will either host either a Saturday or Sunday League starting April 24. Any potential takers?

Robin Marks vs. Richard Marks.

No, we are not going through a divorce. We are running against/or with each other for one of the four available Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC) seats in the 4th Supervisor District. I am currently seated as are Bob and Pam Service and Charlene Cutler-Ploss. Robin has been an Associate Member and my Proxy in the past and really would like to be a voting member and was coaxed by another member (not me) to run. So here we go, 4 people running for 5 positions. One of the Marks couple might not make it. If that happens, I won't mind being an Associate and being Robin's Proxy. There might also be an election in the 3rd District for HCDCC if all the people who pulled out paperwork do run.

Clash of the cultures and races.

I had one of those moments the other day that I just did not know how to resolve and the issue of true real life circumstance came forward. I had taken my sister Mary grocery shopping and was heading to Eureka Natural Foods when my cell phone rang while turning on Central between Safeway and CVS toward Henderson. I pulled over heading north to answer the call. While I was talking to the person calling me, a white small station wagon edged through the stop sign and clipped a black small car turning onto Central with a small child in the back. The white car drove past the car and I thought they would just keep going, but they stopped at the Donut King and the little black car pulled over near the same. While I was on the cell phone, I saw they were arguing with each other. So I ended the call and went across the street to talk to both. The black car that was hit had a young Latino woman who had her daughter in the back seat and had taken the brunt of the damage. Her rear back panel was pushed in and the white car had little damage as she hit the black car with her bumper. When I walked up to the Latino women, she was distraught and asked me, ¿Usted habla español? (Do you speak Spanish?) I told her "Poco" (A little) and she explained in Spanish ¡Daba vuelta a la izquierda en la calle y ella me golpeó mientras que intentaba dar vuelta! (She was hit while trying to turn onto Central.) I explained her argument with the lady in the white station wagon that hit her and the lady told me that the Latino lady had hit her! I told her that there is no way that she could have hit her with her rear quarter panel, but she said I did not know what I saw and challenged how I or my sister could have witnessed this. We explained I was pulled over and sitting there in perfect position to see. She became uncoopertive and standoffish toward us and was yelling at the young Latino whether she wanted to have each insuranse take care of the this. I told the Latino lady, ¡Usted necesita compartir la información con ella!(You need to share information with her!) The Latino lady was in tears over the damage on her vehicle and the other lady had little damage to her vehicle, and she could see this lady was overbearing on what happened, so she got into her car and drove off. And then so did the other person that hit her. What a sad sight. Just a small snapshot of our cultural differences.

What's with the people writing checks?

How many times have you waited in line at a cash register, only to have the person in front of you rip out a check book? Number one. Why are you still using checks? Why not use a debit card or cash so you don't hold up the rest of us? And if you are going to use a check, please fill out the pertinent information while waiting in line with the rest of us! And then don't balance your check book while we are suffering through your ancient time transaction. Thank you. Now have a nice day.

Humboldt Domestic Violence Services (HDVS) hosts fundraiser next to Eureka Natural Food! This weekend from 10am to 4pm!

I realize the silence when I write about Humboldt Domestic Violence. It is a uncomfortable subject, yet nearly everyone has some sort of this violence in their family. Anyways, the HDVS is hosting a fund raising event at the old Dollar Tree next to Eureka Natural Food on Broadway. Items that were left behind by the past Dollar Tree owner will go at way low prices. My sister Mary and I stocked the hardware, gardening, BBQ, ceramic, baby, shoe sundries, eye glass, home repair and improvement, automotive, toy, young girl and education department and this is a great chance for you and your family to take advantage and help stop domestic violence. The doors will be open from 10am to 4pm both Saturday Feb. 27th and Sunday Feb. 28th.

There are many holiday theme items that can be had at next to nothing prices. Please come out and help for this worthy cause.

Arcata and McKinleyville win Niclai Tournament.

The Arcata High Boys and the McKinleyville High Girls both won their respective tournament titles for the second straight year. One observation about the Panther girls team win over Eureka High. Senior Sage Romberg is the best girl basketball player I have ever seen in Humboldt County. She has weirdly keen court sense. She sees the the whole court, and is able lead players to open spots. You just can't teach what she does. And you Trina McCartney fans please refer to each players whole game. Sage can pass, rebound, shoot....she has no weakness in her game. And the other Panthers? They will win it again next year. Their bench just played solid. Lots of upside for the next few years.

On to the boys game. Ferndale was playing in their first Niclai final and seemed to have the jitters playing before a huge crowd against a huge team. They only scored 2 points in the 1st quarter. But they came back from an over 20 point deficit to challenge Arcata in the 4th quarter. Tiger player Jordan Semple is my choice for MVP this year. He makes all of his teammates better. If some D1 school passes up on this 6'6" "2" guard, shame on them. But if he does play JC ball, please let it be CR and maybe a reunion with Tim Couch and Ryan Dehart and then move on to HSU. (This is the selfish fan in me.)

The Niclai Invitational. Dick, you would be proud of the event. Great competition, great crowds and good times. See ya next year.

Home Run basher George McGraw passes.

George V McGraw "Uncle" George was born March 27th 1952 in Lemon Grove, San Diego and died suddenly at his home with his wife by his side February 7th 2010. Uncle is survived by his wife Monica and his two best friends and co-conspirators Martha and Margaret. Uncle was everything to George & Francine, Matthew and Lauren. Not a Christmas passed without his stocking hand outs and absurd gift giving. George had three families, the Barattis, Sears and the Babe's softball team, or as I called it, the cult. George moved to Humboldt County from San Diego in 1973 to work with the Humboldt State Baseball program. George started working at Sears where he met many customers and co-workers. So many have called to express their sadness at his passing. George touched so many lives in such a positive way. In 1982 George married Monica Baratti in their backyward. They were married July 16th 1983 because that was the only weekend that didn't have a softball tournament. They were married by the Haps Dogs manager, Lou. George's other family was his softball team's New York life, Loleta meat market, Mad Max, Hapsdogs and "Babes". George was so happy playing ball especially those tournaments in Chico and Redding. George leaves behind a broken hearted wife and a large extended family; Martha & Dave, Margaret & Bill, George, Franny, Matt, Lauren, John & Bonnie, Erin, Caroline, Stephanie, Hillary, Joe, Johnny, Father in law John Baratti and last but not least his best friend of 40 years Dave Frazer whom he considered his brother. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to your local Little League Team.